Real-Life Decision Making
You have just made a career transition to become a life coach. You've
finished your training and now you're certified. You've decided to join the
International Coach Federation (ICF). Part of being an ICF member coach means
adhering to the ICF's code of ethics.
As a self-employed coach, you must build your client-base in order to make
a living. You have been working for about six months. You've managed to attract
a small base of clients. Every client you have is important to you, and you
don't want to lose any of them.
You started working with a new client. For the first couple of sessions
things went well. Now you have started to notice some behavior that concerns
you. Your client talks to you about depression. He has some very self-defeating
thoughts. He doesn't think he is good enough.
You have been trained to work with clients to set goals and plan for the
future. You are not a therapist. You try your best to keep your client on
a positive track. He is important to you as a client. You want to see him
do well.
During one of your sessions your client confesses to you that he thought
about harming himself when he was having a bad day.
"As a member of the ICF, our code of ethics requires us to refer our clients
to therapists or other specialists when necessary," says life coach Ally Wieser.
You are concerned for the well-being of your client. You fear he might
follow through on his thoughts. Part of you wants to keep him
as a client to help him through his hard time and reach his goals. You also
don't want to lose a client. Another part of you thinks that this client needs
to seek counseling from a medical professional.
What do you do?